<p>I'm a pre-med student student in WA planning to transfer to either of those.</p>
<p>GPA: 3.98
EC: Tutor for the college English & Maths dept, Rotaract (humanitarian club) member
Honors: Phi Theta Kappa
Volunteer work: hospital, mentor for less fortunate children</p>
<p>I have not had any physician shadowing experience here. I've looked at sources from the internet and I never fine any surgeon from WA willing to be shadowed. I'm also an international student so I don't have a family doctor who can give me his/her connections. I know UW has those SMDEP programs but since I do not even have a permanent residence visa D': I'm not eligible.</p>
<p>I feel both Columbia and Cornell will really up my chances to getting accepted into an excellent medical school, especially considering how I am an international student. New York also seems to have so much more opportunities and exposure than I have now.</p>
<p>I think you should realize that both schools treat international applicants (without PR status) slightly differently than students who are domestic. This would impact your chances of being admitted to either. Though not to say you aren’t or might not be a great applicant.</p>
<p>1) Columbia and Cornell are in completely different settings. A city v. a rural location that is 1.5 hrs from the nearest major airport.</p>
<p>2) They breed slightly different cultures - New York is very pervasive in academic life at Columbia, and so the influence of things in New York (the opportunities to do research) will have an impact on what you do. Ithaca is very much about Cornell. It is a college town, and it is hard to escape college. 40% or so of students participate in Greek Life, and it really dominates life on campus.</p>
<p>3) With a fair amount of knowledge about Cornell, I knew it was not the right school for me and did not apply. I wanted to be in a city, I didn’t want to have to walk to class in 20inches of snow and didn’t think the idea of a frat party every weekend as my only social life.</p>
<p>4) Tons of schools will give you a good chance of getting into medical school. (Though as C02 would say, getting a great MCAT score and a strong GPA is more important.) So do not limit yourself just to these two schools. In the end if you have researched both and you believe you like both places, apply to both, see where you get in and go from there. But if you figure out you don’t want to attend either, don’t feel like you need to apply - they are just two schools. There are hundreds of others.</p>
<p>I really hope you don’t think that because Cornell is in New York that means it’s in New York City. It’s over 300 miles away and set in a town with a population of ~60,000. That said, Ithaca is a really nice place, but it certainly won’t offer anywhere near the same kind of setting/opportunities as the city.</p>
<p>Go to Cornell. Thier academics are more demanding than Columbia’s. I’m confident that both school will set you up well for med school provided you do well but Cornell has a slighter edge because of their reputation for working their students hard towards the degree.</p>
<p>HOL how are their academics more demanding? columbia asks that you take 40 courses to Cornell’s 36 in a 4 year period. you certainly will be asked to read just as much at either place. and there is no data that Cornell has a higher placement rate in med school. the only thing that i have heard is from columbia’s pre-med office that said CU is 4th (as always) in the Ivies and well ahead of the other schools regarding placement.</p>
<p>i have heard this myth propogated by my upstate friends and remain unconvinced.</p>
<p>Does Ithaca offer any medical research or clinical shadowing opportunities? If I were you, I’d be looking to go to New York City, and the two schools I’d be looking at would be Columbia and NYU, both of which have excellent medical schools and access to top Manhattan hospitals. Columbia is the more academically rigorous of the two, but NYU would make a great back-up. I wouldn’t consider Cornell, but maybe that’s just me.</p>